Logo text [This story contains spoilers for Mortal Kombat II .] Mortal Kombat II is a victory for screenwriter Jeremy Slater in a way that goes beyond the franchise-best opening weekend of $40 million. For the last two decades, the Kansas native has mostly been working in the trenches of IP-based storytelling, and he’s experienced every imaginable high and low that has come with the town’s decision to double-down on prebranded movies and TV series. Ironically, it was his acclaimed original spec script, Man of Tomorrow , that opened the door to the world of established properties.  The 2012 Black List selection — a 1940s-set superhero noir about an FBI agent who’s caught in the middle of a Chicagoland duel between Superman and Batman-like figures — opened the door to Slater’s six-month stretch on Fantastic Four (2015). While the maligned final cut does not resemble his script, he remains proud of the version he submitted to Fox.…